Uniloc prepares to fight for its $388 million

Emma Woollacott, 2nd October 2009

Uniloc is refusing to take its court defeat lying down, and is to appeal against the shock overturning of its successful patent infringement claim against Microsoft.

On Monday, a judge overturned the $388 million jury award to Uniloc, saying the jury has failed to grasp the issues properly.

"We are disappointed by the decision the trial judge has made to overturn the jury's unanimous verdict in Uniloc's patent infringement case against Microsoft. We believe that the jury's verdict in April was thoughtful, well reasoned and supported by the evidence presented," said Uniloc CEO Brad Davis in a statement.

"Since the patent status remains unchanged, Uniloc will continue to protect its intellectual property and appeal the Judge's decision to override the jury's verdict to the US Court of Appeals. We are confident that Uniloc will ultimately prevail."

The appeal will drag the six-year case out even further, at a time when Microsoft is facing similar patent suits elsewhere. It is currently battling Canadian firm i4i afer a ruling from a Texas court (where else?) that it should stop selling Word and pay nearly $300 million to i4i.